Newly minted propaganda czar Karen Hughes' "listening tour" of the Middle East "turned into a near feeding frenzy directed at her by the western media," writes John Brown, a former U.S. Foreign Service officer. "Hughes's PR failure with her home media would be of little importance if it did not lead to a simple but troubling question: If the administration's Under Secretary in a key foreign policy post can't demonstrate to western reporters that she's a serious professional, how will she ever be able to convince the rest of the world ... that her official assignment - winning hearts and minds abroad - is worth any attention or respect?" Instead of the four "E's" of public diplomacy - "Education, Empowerment, Engagement and Exchanges" - Brown lists several different "E's" that Hughes communicated on her tour: Evangelical, Erroneous, Evasive, Eccentric, Egocentric and Escapist.

"October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and beauty companies are once again selling pink-ribbon products ... all of which earmark some of the purchase price for breast cancer charities," the New York Times reports. "While a few lose money on pink-ribbon products, they still profit, market researchers say, from the consumer good will and loyalty that their giving inspires." But not all women's health advocates are tickled with the results. Helen Lynn of the UK-based Women's Environmental Network told the London Telegraph that the pink ribbon has become a "blindfold" against the cancer risks associated with some cosmetics ingredients. Breast Cancer Action, a San Francisco-based group, has launched a "Think Before You Pink" campaign, urging consumers to ask "some critical questions before opening your wallet for these marketing campaigns: How much money goes to the cause? What is it supporting? How is it being raised? And will it truly affect the fight against breast cancer?"